LiveTiles CEO on AI: “Humanising Technology is the Future”

LiveTiles

Feb 13th 2019

As we embark on a journey that will be dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), human-machine collaboration will put into focus what being human really means. This is a question that we address at LiveTiles every day, where our mission is to hu­manise technology. In doing so we want to seize the opportunity to help create an ethical framework for AI.

Our position is a positive one: to embrace AI and shape it as a force for good, especially for the future of work, where it is likely to have the most im­mediate impact. AI has the power to relieve people from menial work, and to carry out tasks at greater speed, scale and accuracy than can currently be done by humans.

AI is outperforming medical consult­ants in diagnosing cancer, and in the field of autonomous driving it has the potential to save more than 1.3 million lives lost to road accidents every year. This incredible, transformative opportunity needs to be embraced for the good of all people.

But what about the millions of people around the world who are earning their salaries from the jobs that AI will replace? AI represents the fifth industrial revolution, following in the footsteps of steam, mass production, personal com­puting, and the current era of digital transformation – all of these “revolutions” have been disruptive, and all have led to both the disappearance of some jobs and the creation of new ones.

The work of a data scientist, for in­stance, didn’t exist ten years ago, yet this job is now indispensable across a range of industries, because digital transforma­tion brings with it the ability to generate and convert data into fresh insights and new opportunities.

We need to discover the sweet spot between human and machine collabora­tion. At LiveTiles we find that one of the sweetest spots is empowerment: putting the tools and capabilities into the hands of employees so they can be more en­gaged, collaborative and productive.

One of our developments, for instance, is a customisable virtual assistant, or chatbot. People with no engineering skills can now create their own bots. This can be a real game-changer, not just in terms of productivity but also in terms of stimulating and democ­ratising innovation.

Digital transformation, after all, is essentially about people. Business leaders must engage employees in AI and identify how it can bring value to the workplace. Starting with easy wins, such as a simple chatbot solution to get people comfortable with human-machine collaboration, is a smart move. This will set the scene for the successful transition to AI where it is perceived as beneficial by staff members and customers alike.

Looking into the future, AI is going to drive granularity when it comes to business goals and delivering personal­ised experiences. It will escalate the importance of return on experience (for users and customers) as the true indicator of business success.

The opportunity exists today to help build an ethical framework for AI. You don’t need a degree in computer science to draw up an AI strategy. Watching from the sidelines as others shape the future of AI is not an option. Now is the moment to build the future.